Google Glass gets a software update

Google Glass may not yet be ready for prime time just yet, but Mountain View is rolling out updates to improve the nascent user experience for Glass Explorer participants.

Case in point? The latest XE8 software update, which includes a slick new video player allowing users to more easily watch movies or video clips.

"You’re probably not going to want to use it to watch a feature-length film and I doubt you’d get enough battery life to finish the movie anyway," Liliputing's Brad Linder explained. "[Still], it could come in handy for watching brief videos sent by friends or discovered on the internet."

Additional features included in the update? Support for saving notes to Evernote, posting updates to Path, manually adjusting the volume, tweaking the display navigation directions using voice commands and new cards that display items such as reservations for restaurants or tickets for movies with automatic confirmations and reminders.

Users can also add captions when uploading a photo or video commands via voice commands. In general, most Glass voice commands are now easier to string together, as users can send a message to someone in their contact list without waiting for a cue.

And last, but certainly not least, Glass owners can now receive public alerts for extreme weather events and other emergencies.